Refractory body



Sept. 20, 1927. v 1,642,886 `G. D. MORRIS REFRACTORY BODY Filed Dec. 18, 1925 www a, www? ATTORNEY Patented sept. 20,1927.

UNITED STATES GEORGE-D. MORRIS, OF NEW CASTLE, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOR'TO NEWVCASTLE REEQR/ACTORIES COMPANY, OF NEW CASTLE, PENNSYLVANIA, A CORPORATION OF DELAWARE.

REFRACTORY BODY.

Application filed December 18, 1925, Seri-a1 No. 76,275.

ratebut intimately connected or integral sections vof different materials such as fire clay and carborunduni or in lieu of the latter, some other highly refractory material such .as fused alumina,natural alumina silicates such as sillimanite and cyanite, mulli'te or zirconium silicate.

With such composite bodies certain important advantages are obtained. In gcneral it is thus possible to obtain in a single body some of the special advantages of each of the materials used in the different sections Without disadvantages attending the use o-r formation of v'the body Wholly ,out of one only, of the materials employed. For eX- ample, it is advantageous in some cases from the standpoint of cost, to make a portion of the body out of a relatively cheap material as fire clay, and to make another portion or portions of the body of more expensive material as carborundum or of some refractory` substances still more expensive than carbof rundum.

Such -a composite body may Well be substantially cheaper to make than Would abody of the same size and dimensions made wholly of the more-.expensive material, and at the same time the 'moreexpensive material may furnish adequate strength or refractory properties to a portion ofthe body which would not be sufficiently strong or refractory if made `of fire clay. Another advantage of such composite body under some conditions arises from the different manner in Which the surfaces of bodies formed of the different materials resist surface disintegrating effects. For instance, in enameling sanitary Ware the fumes and vapors of the enameling materials on the Ware or applied to adjacent refractory parts form blisters on carborundum bodies, but not on fire clay bodies. In con# sequence it is not possible to locate carborundum bodies above the articles to be enameled because the blisters formed bythe fumes break and the blister particles fall onto the Ware destroying the surface of the latter. VSince it is desirable in the construction 'of tunnel kilns for enameling sanitary Ware and the'like, to employ roof slabs for Ware receiving chambers in Which use is made of the greater strength ofcarborundum as compared with lire clay, such roof slabs'are formed in accordance with the present invention, With portions immediately above the'ware made of fire clay and With other portions made of carborundum.

vThe various features of novelty Which characterize my invention are pointed out with particularity to the claims annexed to and forming a part of this specifica-tion. For a better understanding of the invention, however, its advantages and specific objects attained with it, reference should .be had to the accompanying drawings and descriptive matter in which I have illustrated and described preferred embodiments of my in` vent-ion.

Of the drawings: l Fig.`1 is a side elevation of a tunnel kiln car;

Fig. Qis a section on the broken vline 2-2 of Figui, p Figf is a plan view of the car shown 1n Flg'; l;

Fig. 4 is a section of a slab embodying one. 4':

form vof my invention the section being taken on the line 4 4 of Fig. 3; n

Fi s. 5 and 6 are views taken similarly to Fig. 4 each illustrating a different modi 5 lication of the 'slab construction shown in Fig. 4. y

In Figs. 1, 2, and 3 I have illustrated a tunnel kiln car suitable for use in moving sanitary Ware through a glost kiln. The car, as shown, comprises a body portion A which may be of usual construction and supports through transverse beams B a lower Ware supporting platform C formed of refractory slabs resting on the beams B. Above the platform C arean intermediate and an upper Ware supporting platform each formed of slabs E. As shown, the intermediate platform is formed by four slabs E Which are similar in shape, each being in the form of a rectangular block cut away at one side as indicated at E, the notches uniting to form a plurality of passages through the platform located at intervals along the center line of ythe car. Each individual slab is supported ,l

at its corners'by yposts D, DA, DB, and DC. In addition each slab is supported between its ends by a post DE at the center if the car and a post DD at theside of the car. With the particular car construction shown, the platform slabs E' are permanently supported by the posts D, DA, DB, DC, and DE, but the posts, DD may be removed to facilitate moving the ware treated onto and olf the car. The upper platform is composed of slabs VE which may be similar to those forming the intermediate platform and are similarly supported by posts D, DA, DB, DC, and DD. In the intendeduse of the particular car construction illustrated in enameling sanitary ware, ware pieces (not shown) are loaded on the platform C and each of the upper platforms, and are not placed in saggers'but are directly exposed to the kiln atmosphere. v

Heretofore slabs forming the bottom platform C have ordinarily been made of cary borundum, but the slabs E forming the intermediate and upper platforms have been made of fire clay. tory and possesses less mechanical strength than carborundum'under the conditionsof use to which the slabs E are subjected, and' the increased strength which the use of carborundum would give the slabs E is desir able and important especially in view of the fact that the posts DD are remoyed and' replaced to load and unload the car, and when replaced are wedged in position under conditions which do not always ypermit of an equaldistribution of the load carried by each slab on its different supporting posts. Heretofore'it has been found impossible to use carborundum in the construction of the slabs E because of the surface deteriorationv vwhich resultswhen a carborundum body is subjected to the temperature and atmosheric conditions prevailing in an enameling iiiln. Under the temperatures prevailing in the kiln, there is an interaction between the 1 volatile and alkaline fumes which come from the glaze, and the carborundum grains at the surfaces of the slabs which result in the formation ofI blisters. After a short period of use, portions of these blisters break off, and whenl such blister portions fall on the ware beneath, the surface of the ware is spoiled, and vthe ware then has to be cleaned, redipped and reired.

'In the form of the present invention'illus-L The strip e, which may be a couple of inches in width, or wider, very greatly increases the Fire clay is less refrac# mechanical strength of the slab under the conditions of use, Iand markedly decreases its tendency to sag or crack, especially as it Ais the outer side edge` of theslab which has tioned with sufcient accuracy to' prevent'Y them from taking more or less than their proper share of the weight of the slab above and the load carried' by the latter.` While the surfaceseof the strips e are subject to deterioration as the result of interaction be- `the slab construction described so that it does not extend beneath the strips e. f

It will be understood, of course, that the location and formof the strip portions e of ireclay slabs orthe likewill depend upon thecondition of use and that the amount of carborundum or oth-erspecial refractory material used in the lslabs may be varied as conditions make desirable. .Instead of a composite body formed as shown in Fig. 4, a slab composed of superposed layers of different materials may advantageously be employed in some cases. For example, as shown in Fig. 5, a slab EA, suitable for the same use as the slabs E, is formed of a bottom layer e" of fire clay, andan upper layer e2 of carborundum. Whilethe upper surface of the carborundum layer e2 blisters as a result of the interaction. of glaze fumes and the carborundum, such blistering is not particularly objectionable when occurring at the upper side of the work supporting platform, since there is nothing to carry blister particles into cont-act with the ware above the platform. Y

In Fig. 6 another modificationis illustrated in whichvthe slab EB shown comprises a layer Ve3 forming a sort of a core in a body of lire clay. Characteristic advantages of a. composite body formed of fire clay and carborundum or other-refractory material having properties desirably supplementing those of fire clay may be obtained under .some conditions of use with a construction differing from that shown in Fig. 6, for example, in that the core es is formed of fire clay and the surrounding portion of the slab is formed of carborundum. Having now described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is: Y

1. A compositev refractory body compris-I ing directly integrally connected sections, one of fire clay and another of a material more refractory than re 'clay. A

2.v A composite refractory body -composed of a fire clay section and a carborundum section integrally united to the fire clay section. 4. A kiln car platform slab comprising a 3. A composite refractory body having an body portion of fire clay and an edge porexposed portion of llire clay, and another tion of strongerrefractory material. 10 portion of refractory material less resistant Signed at New Castle, in the county of 5 to the surface deteriorating effect of the Lawrence,` and State of Pennsylvania, this fumes of glaze formin materials directly 14th day of December, A. D. 1925. connected to said fire c ay portion. GEORGE D. MORRIS. 

